Decision details

Climate Emergency Strategy and Annual report & Ecological Emergency Action Plan.

(1)  To note the positive progress and achievements over the last year on implementation of the Council’s Climate Strategy.  This is summarised in the Climate Progress Report, at Annex 1, which includes a range of climate and nature case studies and the annual carbon performance dashboard for the whole area. 

(2)  To note the particular progress made in understanding renewable energy in Bath and North East Somerset and in the development of the delivery pipeline shown in the renewables section of the Climate Progress Report, at Annex 1.

(3)  To note the Climate Action Plan and Route-map to 2030, at Annex 2.

(4)  To note the updated Climate Strategy, at Annex 3

(5)  To note the development of the Ecological Emergency Action Plan, at Annex 4

(6)  To note that the ambition on nature recovery contained in the Ecological Emergency Action Plan will only be fully realised with external investment and through working in partnership.

(7)  To approve the Climate Annual Report and the new Ecological Emergency Action Plan, before submission of the report package to full Council on 16 March 2023.

The Climate Annual Report is based on the three priorities for action defined for Bath and North East Somerset in the 2019 strategy: Increase in Local Renewable Energy Generation; Decarbonising Buildings and Decarbonisation of Transport. 

The Ecological Emergency Action Plan presents a series of strategic outcomes needed for the Council to achieve a step change by 2030, along with the immediate actions that we will take to progress these. These actions will help us to:

• mainstream nature recovery in decision-making, ensuring that we are having a positive impact on nature across all service areas;
• commit to manage our own landholdings, across a range of services, in a way that actively supports nature recovery;
• deliver more for nature from existing projects i.e.  Bathscape, Waterscape, Bath Riverline, Chew Valley Reconnected and Somer Valley Rediscovered;
• pursue more external investment, and establish a prospectus for investment;
• improve communities’ access to and engagement with nature; and
• Improve our evidence base and monitoring of the state of nature in B&NES.

The development of both the Climate and Ecological Emergency plans has involved working across many Council services to identify and consider options for action on our net zero and nature positive 2030 goals.  We will continue to explore options for further action and build these into future plans.